Listening to Moulin Rouge now…

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Gramma had watched us go from the portico, staying until she couldn't see us anymore.

Of course, Jack hadn't spoken the entire time, and neither had I.

I opened my mouth suddenly, my hand touching his elbow to make his stop.

"Jack, I've thought about what you said earlier today."

"What are you talking about?" He asked, and I bent my head, looking at my skirts, and then looked bravely back to his face.

"What you said back at the square. You were right; I should be taking more responsibility for the Crown…now that I'm officially positioned as the next Queen." I looked back at the ground, twisting the ring that was the cause of all of this mess.

He was quiet.

"Genny…er…Crown-"

I interrupted him with a shake of my head.

"Genny, if you please." I said, and he nodded briefly before continuing.

"Genny, What I said before…I was…I don't know how to describe that feeling…" He looked out at the woods as though they could give him some sort of inspiration "I felt like a part of me had been taken away…as though you had…purposely gone back.

"I know from every memory of the terror written on your face that you had not wanted to go back to life back at the Palace…and…"

Once again I stopped him.

"No, you were absolutely right, whether you meant them or not, you spoke the truth. I cannot run away from my kingdom; what should happen if the Queen or King suddenly dropped dead? Who would be there to take their place? Who could the people look to for support through the times when they need ruling the most? Who, Jack, who?" I implored, my eyes searching his face, secretly memorizing every line of it for the nights when sleeping beside Licorice would be almost too much to bear.

"But what if you hadn't gone back in the first place? What if the Royal guard hadn't come for you? Who would have taken the throne, then?" he asked, and I bit my lower lip, looking away.

"Someone else could have easily done it, as treasonist as this may sound, I would rather someone else take the duty than to know you are suffering with someone you do not love." He said, and I twisted my ring faster.

"It cannot work that way…marriages in parliament aren't for love…no marriage has love there. It is the duty of the Crown Princess to comply without question and to stay true otherwise succumb to shock and scandal and risk having the entire nation not trusting their Queen." I said, wishing that I could bite back the words.

"That isn't true, Genny…You could stay here! You will be assumed taken again, and we can use that dress as false ransom…please Genny…do this for yourself if not me." He pleaded, and I couldn't stand to look in his eyes…to look into his eyes would mean giving in…and I couldn't…I couldn't.

"May I ask you something?" he asked, and I shrugged.

"When have you ever needed permission?" I joked, smiling weakly.

"Would it be iniquitous for me to say that I'm in love with a married woman?" He asked softly, and I sucked in breath so fast I felt lightheaded.

Oh God…oh God…he loves me! He loves me!

Oh God…he loves me…

"Must you pick the worst moment to speak of this? Now I must fight the urge to confess the truth to you. You are a truly horrid person." I said, shaking my head teasingly, the way I had so many times before.

"I knew it!" he said triumphantly. He threw his arms about my waist and lifted me, spinning me around him, then set me down gently, his face dangerously close to mine.

In the back of my mind I heard a nagging voice reminding me about sins and moral corruptness, but I ignored it, standing on tiptoe to greet his lips with mine.

My arms flew about his neck, and I felt the exhilarating rush that I had longed for with every fiber in my body since the night of the Solstice…

I pulled back suddenly, a flush flaring along my cheekbones. He stepped back a step, afraid he had crossed some invisible boundary line of mine, but I stepped into him, closing the distance between us as his arms closed around me, enfolding me in his embrace.

"Maybe cousin Pauline would make a good Queen…" I whispered, watching the sun disappear below the horizon.

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Awwww…cheesy romance is always fun to write.

Again, only a feeble spell-check.

Oh, sorry for the shortness, but i figured that them proclaiming their love was enough.

Shame it would have been weird if they just randomly burst out into "All I Ask of You" from Phantom of the Opera...

Please review!